Lenten Meals – Tuna Steak Salad with Banana Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tuna Salad and Banana Balsamic Vinaigrette

There is a tuna salad at Houlihan’s that combines tuna, wasabi and a banana vinaigrette that is one of my favorite salads in the world. It’s also probably my favorite salad that is actually healthy. That salad is the perfect mixture of sweet banana and spicy wasabi and savory fish.

This salad is not that one. There’s a lot of components to that salad that I don’t want to try and figure out nor am I likely to make trying to fix a salad. With that in mind, I came up with this one, which I think is a worthy spiritual successor.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons each white and black sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 sushi grade tuna steaks
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 banana mashed (as ripe as possible)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon wasabi
• 2 cups salad mix
• 1/4 cup banana chips

1. Mix the sesame seeds, salt and pepper, then arrange the seeds in as thin a layer as possible
2. Press the tuna steaks into the seeds, then flip and press the other side into the seeds
3. Get the vegetable oil very hot in a skillet over medium high heat
4. Cook the tuna 30-45 seconds on each side so that the tuna is rare in the middle
5. Pour half the soy sauce on each steak and let them rest
6. In a separate bowl, mix the banana and olive oil together
7. Whisk in the vinegar, wasabi and a pinch of salt and pepper
8. Finally, toss the salad mix and banana chips, add the dressing and top with tuna

Enjoy!

Image by Reinhard Thrainer from Pixabay